From Unemployed to Self-employed in a Weekend: Making Money on Monday

What’s the difference between unemployed and self-employed?

Nothing.

It’s a matter of choosing different words.

“Thoughts become things. Choose good ones.” ~ Mike Dooley

Your thoughts are revealed by your words. Perhaps you’ve been downsized, or quit your job as a reaction to too much stress or frustration. Maybe you’ve been fishing for a new job and, so far, not gotten many bites. And maybe you are spending too much time and energy whining about it.

In the last 48 hours, have you mentioned how tough the economy is? Have you told someone how long you’ve been looking for a job, or how hard it is to find one?

You can stop talking like that.

In fact, why don’t you just STOP looking for a job?

Instead, consider starting a business of your own. You can be self-employed as soon as the words leave your lips. And, you could create your own profitable business in a weekend.

If that sounds a little scary, consider this: The least secure position is a job. You can lose a job, even a great job, in a heartbeat. Yes, it’s risky to start a business. But at least you will be the one in charge, the one making the decisions. You’ll have more control over your destiny in a business of your own.

From School of Hard Knocks to Easy Street

Once upon a time, I had a great job, as a restaurant manager of a hip, progressive restaurant chain. My husband owned a plumbing business. When his best friend and business partner died, suddenly and tragically, I quit my real job and went to work with my husband.

It was awful. We lost a lot of money and we took out our frustrations on each other. I was ready to flush the business, and my marriage, down the drain. Then, I read an article by a fellow named Frank Blau in Plumbing & Mechanical magazine. He wrote about how to turn around a sinking business. He suggested that…

You get clear on what you want and write it down.

You figure out how much you want to make and how much you’ll have to charge.

You come up with something to sell and sell it to somebody.

I wrote Frank a letter. I spent two pages telling him how hard it was to be in business, how tough the economy was, how frustrated I was…blahblahblah. Unfazed, Frank adopted me as his protégée. He said, “First, stop whining. Next, if you are willing to do the basics, you can create a successful business.”

That was the turning point. It took a weekend for me to restructure our business, raise our prices and start down the path of profitability.

Is there a business in you? Ready to take a weekend and find out? Here’s the 48 hour plan…

Friday evening…hit the office supply store.

Pick up a three-ring binder and some copy paper

On the way home, stop at the grocery store and get food for the weekend. Simple, fresh, no-fuss items like soup, yogurt, cereal, fruit, granola bars.

Then, lock the door. Turn off your phone. Commit to 48 hours of focused thought and written commitment.

Sunday…keep after the big questions. At 2 pm, start assembling a list of Top Projects.

Of all the things you have thought about over the weekend, what are five Top Projects you could commit to doing this coming week that will help you get going and profitable? Here are some examples…

Find a successful business owner in your chosen industry with whom you don’t compete and convince him or her to mentor you.

Put together a Marketing Plan, including Social Media and Publicity.

Put a Budget together for 2012 and create goals for Sales and Expenses.

Install Quickbooks ™ and learn how to use it.

Take a Sales Training class.

When are you going to get these Projects done and done by? Write the dates in your Calendar.

Monday…sell something to somebody. Yep, go make a sale. Call or visit or email until someone says, “Yes!” If your idea is a winner, it should prove out.

You can build a business plan, and a profitable business, in a weekend…and be making money by Monday. Why not move fast? If your business plan is sound, you should be able to sell something on Monday. And, if you don’t, then tweak the business plan.

And, from this point forward, when anyone asks you what you do, say…

“I’m self-employed.”

Interesting bonus: As you get your own business going, don’t be surprised if you start getting job offers. It happens as surely as newly adoptive parents become pregnant. Maybe it’s because you are distracting yourself from your defeatist thoughts, too busy with your exciting new business plan. Maybe it’s because you’re acting and speaking in a more positive, proactive way. In any event, you become more attractive when you are making things happen, as opposed to fretting and waiting.

Plumber’s wife turned business mogul, Ellen Rohr, nearly sank the family business. Then, she learned how to create financial and lifestyle freedom…building a $40 million franchise organization in under two years. She shares her simple, powerful business planning basics at www.BareBonesBiz.com

23 Comments

Christine
on January 17, 2012 at 10:43 am

Is it possible to start a business, where you are not selling anything at all? That sales does not factor into the equation?

Ellen,
This is a fantastic article! I have done my fair share of whining and making excuses as to why I can’t build a business. I’ve lived with a lousy job for many years and although I think it’s much more difficult than the few steps you laid out here, I know it is certainly possible for anyone to build a business.

I love the weekend idea and have avoided doing this kind of intense work for a long time. There is always something to do or somewhere to be but it makes so much sense to just dig in and answer these hard questions..

GREAT article!! Love how simple it is.. yet how COMPLICATED we make things! We can be swirling and swirling in the thought that it’s gotta be SO much more complicated than it is… that it prevents us from actually moving forward!!

Thank you. Jen and Ellen. I am always finding inspiration when I come here. Today is no exception.

Yeah! Jen and I had a blast discussing this topic. Perhaps some of the complications arise from wanting things to be perfect, from not wanting to make a mistake. However, the mistakes are where the lessons are! The mistakes are where the stories come from. If we lighten up and embrace the adventure, it’s a lot more fun and profitable.

Thank you Ellen for taking the courage to ask for help and then following through so that we may follow in your footsteps…i certainly know what i will be doing this weekend…gotta love inner guidence and synchronicity!!

This – article – is – GREAT! Love it! Yeah, we make simple things more complicated that it seems.

I want to make video production bussines (advertisment, web bussiness card, etc.) but I don’t know where to find customers? In sense “I just started, and I don’t know anybody!”

My idea was that I make it upside down. First I make ad spot for one type of biz field (for example: hairdresser’s), and THEN I go to some hairdresser’s and offer them completed product precisely for them (their logo on the end). Isn’t it silly idea?

Love the idea! Within the Business Plan, create a Marketing Plan. The Marketing Plan could have 3 main “drivers” – ways to get leads. Allocate time and money to energize these drivers. The upside down idea is a terrific driver! Maybe visit with them briefly FIRST and ask three questions about What Why and How they do business. Then, create the mini-package. Coooool! xo$

I enjoyed reading this article, however it makes things seem simpler than they truly are. I used to read similar articles in work from home magazines when one day I was fed up with the nine to five routine. I made the switch and began a business in selling promotional products. Foe a little over a year I struggled with just getting one to two sales here and there. Partnered with a printing company and attended many motivational seminars and was still not getting regular business. The internet dealers I discovered were offering better prices. So I chose a different business model. I offered an online business directory and also sold personal security products online and offline. I spent a few hundred in marketing and websites. No one was interested. I’ve saw some start ups make it and others fail. I believe it is simply the area where I am working that is just not conductive to a start up business. An insider at the local chamber told me once if you don’t have a few thousand and can run a store front business… good luck getting started. I would love to own my own business but I think the business model has to be a match for the market.

Patrick,
I think what Ellen is saying is that if you can’t make money relatively quickly, then it’s time to go back to your plan and re-evaluate whether your approach is really going to get where you need to go in the timeframe you need it. You can build a profitable business, either offline or online, but it’s probably not going to be straightforward, especially if you’ve never worked in the industry before. Absolutely your business model has to match to market–and I agree that not enough people take that into account (and are willing to change when they discover they’re wrong).

I’ve seen so many people continue to pour money into a business that isn’t working. I suggest making a sale on Monday as a market test. Just because we think we have a great idea doesn’t mean anyone else will think so. Is it a marketing problem? A sales problem? A product or price issue? Business planning is thinking and allowing for inspiration. Then taking action. A good indicator of biz success is making money. If a business idea isn’t working you can choose another approach or try something else or abandon it.

I believe that if you really want to have a successful business of your own, you can. It may take a few rounds to dial in a winning model. Like Jen says… It’s not necessarily straightline. My vote: get to profitable ASAP.

Hello,
i just want to ask something..I am from Canada and don’t have work anymore for 2 months and i am a single mom with 2 kids 12 and 14,I am renting a basement which i am afraid i cant pay next month anymore and i dont have savings ..Can you tell me what kind of business can i start just to even buy foods and pay the rent.?I been searching for work but lots of resumes are on waste already because until now no call received so far..

I’m sorry you’re going through a tough time right now. At least the kids are in school, so you don’t have child care to deal with too!

The quick answer to your question is yes, there are things that anyone can start up right away, though which appeals and has the greatest chance at success depends on your skills. There are certainly many more options than this:

As I said, there are certainly more ideas depending on your skills, the area where you live, etc. For example, read this post where Tina Seelig talks about business ideas where her students made a couple hundred bucks in just a few hours by noticing needs in their community.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult or scary, but it sounds like you’ve pared your expenses down considerably, so that if you could earn $1000/month or more, you’d be ok. And I think if you’re willing to hustle, be creative, and as always, get some lucky breaks, that should be doable. The hardest part will be really putting yourself out there, when I’m sure your situation has degraded your confidence. But at this stage, I think you’d have nothing to lose and everything to gain, given that the traditional job search isn’t working well.